Radioactive
by Bethany Tucker
Summary: Running as fast as I can, I duck under pipes and jump over heaps of city. The chase is on. They're coming for me. How do I hide, can I hide at all? I know I can't outrun them. The only way I have a chance at survival is to hide, but where? I don't know where anyone else is. As far as I know, I'm alone.


Author's note: Hey everybody! So, I know I've been a little silent on the GMW archive lately, and I'm really sorry about that. A lot has happened in my life lately. I've been working on this since May, but I put it down. I finished it recently, The first chapter at least.

It was written on a whim, so I apologize if this idea is half baked and semi ridiculous.

This story probably wouldn't even be published right now, if it weren't for my good friend Jordan Honeycutt. ( .7)

So much thanks to him, He's awesome. :)

My other big project is Sudden Silence, but my editor (aka my dad) can't get his crud together and hasn't edited the 2nd chapter. Im so sorry for any inconvenience.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this, please review.

Lots of love,

Beth

o0o ~ o0o

Radioactive

o0o ~ o0o

Riley's POV

Running as fast as I can, I duck under pipes and jump over heaps of city.

The chase is on.

They're coming for me.

How do I hide, can I hide at all?

I know I can't outrun them.

The only way I have a chance at survival is to hide, but where? I don't know where anyone else is.

As far as I know, I'm alone.

What do I do? Where do I go?

Half the city is up in flames, and both halves are abandoned.

There is no color, only gray and black, with the occasional exception of orange flames.

Fallen buildings are everywhere, trees are snapped like twigs, and a whole lot is just gone.

It's a ghost of what it used to be.

The mutants have taken over, and now, they hunt the rest of us down.

I don't wanna be one of them. I simply CAN'T be.

I've been on the run for three years. I'm not quitting now.

If they catch me, which I suppose is inevitable, they'll change me.

I won't be me anymore. Riley Matthews will cease to exist.

My legs can only carry me oh so fast and they are already beginning to tire.

'FASTER.' I think, furious with myself.

Running on no sleep, little food, and on top of sharp and hard object with no real shoes, is hard.

I push myself onward.

I steal a glance over my shoulder, to see how far behind me they are.

A little more than two hundred yards behind me, the hunter chases me, like a dog chasing a chicken.

And like a dog chasing a chicken, it's only a matter of time until I tire out, until I slow, just enough to let them gain on me.

It's fight or flight. I've got to find a hiding place!

I can't tell if it's a man or a woman yet. I pray I'll never get close enough to know.

I'm tripping over my own feet, stumbling, and I'll probably pass out from exhaust if I don't stop soon.

I haven't slept more than four hours in the last three days.

My legs are beginning to seriously ache all over, my shoulder burns, and I'm fairly certain the six inch gash on my arm re-opened.

I see a large building that has partially caved in, and I hurry to it.

Running into it, I pray that a previous United has been here.

Searching the walls for the mark, I find one.

It's nothing special, just a small half circle with a triangle in the middle, the seal of the United.

It's small enough so a hunter wouldn't notice.

I press it, and the wall opens, just slightly, enough for me to slip through.

I frantically close the passage door, and sigh in relief.

But I can't stop now. Im still not safe. I'll never truly be safe

I quietly sneak through the insides of the walls, treading lightly.

I feel like someone is watching me...

I follow the passages, the dark, cave-like paths, until I just can't go any farther.

My legs ungracefully give out beneath me, and I sink down as far as I can.

I swear I feel eyes on me... But... I'm so tired.

My eyes close, and my already incoherent thoughts fade to nothingness.

Maya's POV

Bluish light flickers across my face as I open my eyes. I wince.

Ugh... It's morning.

I sit up in my sleeping bag.

Farkle is asleep next to me, drooling

And 'course Ranger Rick is already up, with a flashlight in hand.

He stands at the door, watching me, an amused expression on his face.

"What?" I growl, irritated.

I'm not a morning person. EVER.

"Nothin'," He smirks. "How'd you sleep?"

I roll my eyes, and get up.

"Fine," I say, ending the conversation.

I check our bag of provisions, to find we're almost completely out, except for a handful of crackers and a very small bit of cheese.

Just great. No breakfast.

"Did you eat the last of the food?!" I angrily ask Lucas.

He shakes his head.

"No. I saw we were out earlier, but I didn't want to wake you up just yet."

I roll my eyes at the last part. 'Just yet.'

Whatever. I'll just get more. We were due for another round of supplies anyway.

I pull on my boots and jacket.

After kissing Farkle's cheek, and telling Lucas I'm going to get more food, I grab the bag that is supposed to hold our food, and head out.

I step out of the narrow passageway, and into the broken building.

Our base is a safe, but short distance from the border between New York, which is abandoned, and New Jersey, which is populated by the mutations, so stealing the food is fairly easy, so long as I don't bring much attention to myself.

I muss my hair, and streak my face with dirt, and enter the city, stealing food right from under the freaks' noses.

I get meat, cheese, bread, crackers, fresh water, fruit, and some other assorted food items.

The shop keepers don't even blink twice when I walk in, and just take what I need. It's normal mutation behavior.

I glare at them, and sometimes growl when one gets too close, just to sell them on the act.

I take some other necessities, and start on my trek back.

It takes about two hours of walking to get back, and by the time I reach the building that contains our passageway, I'm exhausted.

But something catches my eye.

There is a hunter nearby, and something just bolted into our building.

I dash after it.

The mutants will NOT come close to finding my friends. I won't let them.

I race into the building, but I don't find the hunter that I'm sure ran in here.

Then I notice that the passageway door is open just SLIGHTLY.

I panic.

Theyre here! They've found us!

I prepare to attack the beastie, running into the passagway.

But about halfway into the passageway, I see it.

It, or she, has medium length brown hair, that in parts look like it was singed off. She has pale skin, though you can tell she's been exposed to the sun. There are dark bags under her eyes, and she has many skratches and gashes on her long arms.

She's passed out.

This is no beast. The beasts never look this beaten up. They're almost animal, but they don't look like they haven't slept in days, and their ribs are never showing.

Whatever this girl is, she's not trustworthy. Not yet anyways.

I flick her forehead, to see if she's in a deep sleep.

She doesn't even flinch.

Satisfied after hitting SOMEONE in the face, I grab her arm and drag her towards the base. But not before tying her up.

Better to take her with me, than to leave her here and expose our base.

Lucas' POV

"Lucas! Farkle! Get out here, and help me!" I hear Maya shout.

"Food's here!" I say to Farkle, the way I used to when we'd order pizza and have it delivered.

"And also my girlfriend," He says, grinning.

"Yeah, yeah, her too."

He laughs and gets up from his chair, and we walk to the passage to help Maya.

Both of us are silenced when we see Maya pulling in another girl, whose tied up.

"Help me, you doofus'!" Maya says, gritting her teeth.

We rush to her, lift the brunette and carry her in, letting Maya rest.

"Who is this?! Why did you bring her here?! Why would you risk our location!?" I ask, setting the new girl on the ground.

"Would you just relax? I don't know, I just found her passed out in our passageway. She found it on her own. I'm surprised you guys didn't hear her," Maya says, taking a drink of her water thermos.

Farkle looks at me, and shrugs.

"How do you know she isn't one of them?" I ask, not quite okay with this.

Maya just rolls her eyes.

"Please. I'm not an idiot! Just look at her. She doesn't look like them. They wouldn't go long without eating and her ribs are showing. They might be dirty, but they don't get a scratch and let it go without getting it healed. She looks exhausted. There are some of the mutts that sleep all day! She clearly hasn't slept in a long while. And I saw her run in here. She was being chased by a hunter. What hunter would chase one of their own?"

Looking at the girl, I see that she's right.

The brunette has a lot of scars and scratches scattered across her arms, legs, and face, and has dark, purpley shadows adorning her eyes.

She has no shoes on her feet, just pieces of rags tied on with what appears to be strips of fabric.

Whoever, and whatever this girl is, despite looking like someone beat her with a stick, she's pretty.

I hope, we can trust her.

It'd be nice to not be so alone.

I mean, I've got Maya and Farkle, and I love them both.

But, it can be difficult, being the forever third wheel.

With them being together, and me... Not having anyone like that, it just makes things awkward when they try to have a romantic moment, and I'm in the corner, trying not to interrupt.

No one ever said the apocalypse was easy.

But they're my only family now, and I love them like family.

However, this new girl might be a nice change of pace. Maybe she'll be different from Maya's toughness, and Farkle's... Farkleness.

Maybe this is a good thing.

I just hope she'll stick around once she's up.

Authors note: Hey! How'd y'all like it? Please be honest!

With this story, I'm doing something a little different. Music tends to help me write, and I find that often it helps add to an emotion.

So I have created a soundtrack, for each part of this chapter and I'm going to try to do it for every chapter.

Radioactive: Score and Soundtrack:

The Run: Roundtable Rival by Lindsey Stirling

The Passage: Shadows by Lindsey Stirling

Maya's Point Of View: Master of the Tides by Lindsey Stirling

Meet Riley: Titanium by Sia

Meet Maya: Centuries by Fallout Boy, Ascendance by Lindsey Stirling,

Meets Farkle: Carry On by Fun, Eyes Open by Taylor Swift

Meet Lucas: Breakeven by the Script, Maps (originally by Maroon 5) a cover by Megan Nicole

These are just things I am using to expand character and add more punch.

I hope you like it!


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